In countries of the Near East region, brucellosis was reported in almost all domestic
animals, particularly cattle, sheep and goats. Brucellosis in camels has been reported
in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Egypt, Libya and Somalia. It has
been reported even in racing camels in the United Arab Emirates. In Egypt, brucellosis
has been reported also in buffaloes, equines and swine. Brucella melitensis biovar
3 is the most commonly isolated species from animals in Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Tunisia
and Turkey. B. melitensis biovar 2 was reported in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and B.
melitensis biovar 1 in Libya, Oman and Israel. B. abortus biovar 1 was reported in
Egypt, biovar 2 in Iran, biovar 3 in Iran and Turkey, and biovar 6 in Sudan. The countries
with the highest incidence of human brucellosis are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Palestinian
Authority, Syria, Jordan and Oman. Bahrain is reported to have zero incidence. Most
human cases are caused by B. melitensis, particularly biovar 3. However, B. abortus
has been responsible for an increasing number of cases in recent years, e.g. in Yemen,
where B. abortus was identified in 45 cases and B. melitensis in 7 cases out of 330
cultures performed in 1995. Concerning control of brucellosis in animals, there is
a controversy on the choice of policy. In some countries, the test and slaughter policy
together with the vaccination of young females is adopted, in others, particularly
with regard to sheep and goats; mass vaccination has been recently started. The most
commonly used vaccines are B. abortus S19 and B. melitensis Rev.1 vaccines. B. abortus
RB51 vaccine is used in some countries on small scale. Vaccination is limited to cattle
and small ruminants.
Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.